Sharlene and I have been in a few waiting rooms that have TV set on and quite often it's tuned to FOX. Sharlene tells the receptionist to turn that rubbish off. It's bad enough being in pain without having to listen to that tripe.

“Men never commit evil so fully and joyfully as when they do it for religious convictions.” – Blaise Pascal

Q, I suspect you may be recalling the thought of William in Truth as he listens to Mr. Windling spouting offensive nonsense about Vetinari letting in too many non-humans, and ends his comment with the phrase "No offense." William wonders why people don't avoid saying offensive things and just tack on the comment. The dwarf at the table says nothing, but neatly removes the top of his egg with an ax.

Avoiding, for the moment, the plethora of headlines making one speeches engendered by the daily comments of Romney and Ryan, I was somewhat taken aback by this one: Man jumps off Bronx Zoo train, mauled by tiger. For those who wish to know more, the link is here. He survived both the jump and the mauling, but is in critical condition and no one knows what possessed him to do that, yet.

swreader wrote:Q, I suspect you may be recalling the thought of William in Truth as he listens to Mr. Windling spouting offensive nonsense about Vetinari letting in too many non-humans, and ends his comment with the phrase "No offense." William wonders why people don't avoid saying offensive things and just tack on the comment. The dwarf at the table says nothing, but neatly removes the top of his egg with an ax.

I'm actually pretty sure I didn't get it from The Truth, or any Pratchettian source (unless it was in a previous discussion on this BBS, maybe). Sorry, swreader. I think I read it on something about politics or something. I just can't remember where. It was that specific wording: "sorry IF I caused offence", the one Tony mentioned. I'm trying to figure out where I heard that variation and the explanation. It could be anywhere from this BBS to a book I have read. I dunno what...

Lynden Dorval, 61, has been a physics teacher at Ross Sheppard High School in Edmonton, Canada, and has worked in the local public school system for 35 years.

At the end of the school year in June, he faced a dilemma: a school policy that forbids teacher from giving a zero grade to students (the new requirement: "assigning behaviour codes for formative assessments") was in the way of his doing just that to students who had failed to turn in their work.

"It's promoting students without having them do the work," he says, so he ignored the policy in favor of grading the kids on actual work. But, he said, "students were always allowed to make up their zero." He was suspended for 21 days.

When he appealed the suspension, he was terminated. He now faces a new dilemma: he can retire, and protect his pension, or file a lawsuit, and risk losing everything.

Other Canadian provinces have given up on their "no zero" policies because "it proved to be a complete disaster" for students, a teacher in Manitoba said.

"What Do You Get with a Menage a Trois, Drugs, a Revolver and a SWAT Team? Trouble in Pasco County" -- Tampa Tribune headline

Some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them.

Bouncy Castle wrote:Lynden Dorval, 61, has been a physics teacher at Ross Sheppard High School in Edmonton, Canada, and has worked in the local public school system for 35 years.

At the end of the school year in June, he faced a dilemma: a school policy that forbids teacher from giving a zero grade to students (the new requirement: "assigning behaviour codes for formative assessments") was in the way of his doing just that to students who had failed to turn in their work.

"It's promoting students without having them do the work," he says, so he ignored the policy in favor of grading the kids on actual work. But, he said, "students were always allowed to make up their zero." He was suspended for 21 days.

When he appealed the suspension, he was terminated. He now faces a new dilemma: he can retire, and protect his pension, or file a lawsuit, and risk losing everything.

Other Canadian provinces have given up on their "no zero" policies because "it proved to be a complete disaster" for students, a teacher in Manitoba said.

Dunno who are the greater idiots there: the students or the policy makers.

I think I read about something similar in the Darwin Awards. There was also something similar involving a gerbil and a tube in the Darwin Awards, and of course, the Jackass team (for laughs rather than anything kinky) shoved a toy car (wrapped in a prophylactic) into one of their member's derrieres, just so that they could X-ray it and freak the GP out.